Without a representative team to play for, Wagga has lost talented soccer players to other codes or other associations.

Tolland men’s co-coach Chris Ayton wants to see Football Wagga prioritise women’s soccer.

“We 100 per cent have the talent in Wagga,” Ayton said.

“There will be more Jada Whymans, we just need to give them decent pathways.”

Whyman, Wagga’s sole W League player, Western Sydney Wanderers goalkeeper was discovered in spite of circumstances.

Whyman was scouted on a Country NSW trip.

“I didn’t know there wasn’t that much going here for women’s football, I just played the sport to have fun,” she said.

She doesn’t know where she’d be without access she had to a committed, knowledgeable local coach.

“Andrew Mason helped for sure, I did extra sessions with him because I wanted to do better, he would stay behind when he could have gone to home to his family,” she said.

“That sort of help is a hard thing to find. The boys are doing fine. If the girls had more support, they’d do better.”

Ayton’s comments follows the failure of the Wagga City Wanderers’ senior women’s team venture. Wanderers had planned to field a team in the Capital Football competition in Canberra, but they backed out in February.

Players had already invested in months of pre-season training, and most have told former coach Rod Buik they will not be committing to a Wanderers program again.

“I don’t think the Wanderers have realised the opportunity they’ve missed out on,” Ayton said.

He said the failed venture also has implications on the direction of men’s representative soccer.

Men’s teams regularly travel to Sydney to play in the NSW state league.

“See, if we had a foot in the door with the women, it’d make it easier for our 18’s, 20’s and men to move over,” he said.

“Guys aren’t wanting to travel to Sydney, chances are they’ll travel to Canberra.”